Thirsty Monk doesn’t expect to make many changes to the Bazi space. Eventually, they’ll start brewing in Portland, whether at Bazi or at another brewery is yet to be determined. Photos by Andi Prewitt

By Andi PrewittOf the Oregon Beer Growler

It only took three sentences at the bottom of a press release to set off a frenzy of theories on Facebook.

When Thirsty Monk announced in late October that it would be purchasing a “well-known Portland beer bar,” seemingly every blogger, author and industry insider in town leapt to their social media accounts to pile onto the mound of ideas in this guessing game. Could it be Horse Brass? No way would a brewery fit in that basement. The ill-fated Tugboat? Maybe, but rehabilitating the fire-damaged building made it a longshot. Produce Row? APEX? Blitz Ladd? The debate eventually fizzled after a few weeks came and went without a leak, an official announcement or a correct answer.

“I was reading what everybody was speculating and it’s amazing how everybody always assumes that it’s the bar that’s not doing well, you know?” said Hilda Stevens, owner of Bazi Bierbrasserie, the well-known Portland beer bar in question that no one suspected was up for sale. “Where people should really think about, like, maybe there’s a bar that is doing really well but they have a business plan and they have some priorities.”

What few people knew was that Stevens’ priorities had shifted with time and that she actually never intended to remain at the helm of the business that’s become a Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard headquarters for Belgian-style ales and soccer-viewing parties.

“When I opened this place, I knew it wasn’t something that I was going to do the rest of my life,” Stevens explained, which might sound like a friend just broke it to you that they weren’t really in it for the long haul. It’s all too easy to get attached to our favorite bars, and Stevens admits she’s become synonymous with Bazi, another factor that likely contributed to the surprise surrounding the announcement Thirsty Monk would take over in mid-December.

“I didn’t realize that I had become as much of a brand of this place,” Stevens described. “It’s like, I’ll go to place and people might not remember my name, but they remember Bazi. They associate me with the brand.”

That’s due to six years of cultivating relationships across the bar and around the neighborhood through her involvement with the Hawthorne Boulevard Business Association. Bazi has become her home, its kitchen filled with kegs and living room overflowing with rowdy soccer fans watching a match on any given day, and her home is conveniently located just blocks from Bazi. The bar was a result of Stevens’ conservative planning, but even the most thorough proposal can sometimes benefit from a boost due to fortuitous circumstances. Those happened to take the form of a layoff from Stevens’ well-paying job in the tech industry, the arrival of Major League Soccer in Portland and the space Bazi opened in suddenly becoming available. Stevens also points out that the business ended up filling a need few realized existed at that point in the city’s beverage scene.

“I love the fact that we were the first Belgian beer bar to come into Portland in a time where people were like, ‘What is she thinking? A Belgian beer bar isn’t going to make it in hop-centric Portland,’” Stevens said. “It was all about catering to the right community and knowing our audience — knowing there’s a lot of people in this town who have traveled all over Europe and really appreciate Belgian beers.”

Stevens had a target: Bazi’s fifth anniversary. If she could build a clientele and become successful by that milestone, it would then be time to challenge herself once again by either expanding or selling. And when that five-year mark arrived, Stevens wasn’t ready to let go. The search for a second location was underway until, much like the founding of Bazi, unexpected factors intervened. Last March, the neighboring bicycle shop that shared storage space with the bar, which was primarily occupied by hundreds of empty boxes that once contained the two-wheeled rides, vacated the premises. Even before the clutter of cardboard was cleared, however, Stevens had envisioned the perfect purpose for that site.

“Nobody knows that there’s all that space unless you have worked here. And people who have worked here know that,” Stevens said. “And they know that I’ve always joked around and said if the bike shop ever moves out, a brewery needs to open up here.”

But the decision to look for someone else to acquire the business was solidified when Stevens realized it was simply time to go home. On Bazi’s fifth anniversary, her parents’ residence in Houston flooded, which would happen again when Hurricane Harvey pounded southern Texas with record-breaking rain, and Stevens couldn’t help. The distance during their crisis still pulls tears from her eyes; the ease with which she’d talked about Bazi suddenly halts as her voice grows unsteady and laden with sadness.

“And it was really hard, you know, not being able to be there. And … that’s, that’s the part — that’s the part that’s really hard to talk about,” Stevens said. “I can talk about the business side, no problem. But my family, it hurts. And watching how much they slow down, and you’re always missing out.”

Hilda Stevens, owner of Bazi Bierbrasserie since 2011, announced in early November that she was selling the business to Thirsty Monk.

The decision was easy at that point. It was time to pull out of the expansion plan and find Bazi a good owner so that Stevens could move back to Houston after nearly two decades in Portland. She put the business up for sale in July and quickly drew the interest of multiple companies. That included Thirsty Monk, an Asheville, N.C.-based brewery that uses Belgian yeast in all of its beers — from the more traditional tripels and wits to the somewhat unconventional combination of Northeast IPAs or chocolate stouts. CEO Barry Bialik said he put Bazi under contract nearly as soon as he heard it was available and without even seeing it, flying out a few weeks later to meet with Stevens and take a tour. That personal touch was impressive and helped her feel confident about entrusting what she’d built to Thirsty Monk.

“Definitely the fact that it was the CEO was the one out there looking for the location — that in itself says a lot about an organization,” Stevens added.

Bialik also wanted to be involved in making the announcement to the team at Bazi and remained tight lipped about the deal with media until they knew.

“We’re so sensitive to that and how we talk about news and how we share it to make sure we deliver it right,” he said. “There was no other way to even think about it. Of course I wanted to be there to share with the employees. I want everyone to feel comfortable that, yeah, their jobs are safe. They’re going to be part of the transition and we’re all going to help this grow together.”

The CEO had been scouting out possible sites in Portland earlier this summer, but found the perfect match for the company’s ethos in Bazi. The way he describes it, the two could’ve been set up on a beer bar dating app and there wouldn’t have been a more complementary partner out there.

“What was so great about walking into Bazi for the first time is it felt just like walking into a Thirsty Monk,” Bialik recounted. “It had the same kind of energy, it had the same kind of community, it had the same kind of family-pub feel. And they’re on the same top 100 beer bar lists we are. They specialize in Belgian beer just like we do. It just felt like such a natural fit.”

There won’t be many immediate changes—the Bazi name will stay in place until Thirsty Monk’s Denver brewery can supply the Portland spot with its beer. Even then, they’ll stay true to Stevens’ model of offering a wide variety of Belgian-style offerings, with about half of the taps reserved for a rotation of other producers. Bialik’s brother Opus is in the process of moving his family from Seattle to Portland to serve as the new general manager. And as for that storage space housing a brewery, it’s still too early to tell. Architects need to survey the room to determine if a small system could be installed. If not, Bialik said he will either purchase an existing brewery elsewhere in the city or contract brew with another business. Either way, Thirsty Monk will eventually make beer in Portland. Until that happens, Bialik is focused on the ownership change and grateful for Stevens’ assistance.

“I’m so happy that Hilda is going to have the time to stay around and help as long as she’s available to help Opus with the transition and to learn about the community she’s created there and how we can honor and continue that.”

It’s a legacy she hopes will be remembered each time a crowd gathers there to drink Belgian beer as a soccer match plays on the business’s big screen. ​

Lane United FC is a stepping stone for many professional soccer players and a source for MLS franchise reserve squads. Photos courtesy of John Sperry

By Anthony St. ClairFor the Oregon Beer Growler

In 2014, fledgling soccer club Lane United FC was looking for sponsors. They soon connected with Oakshire Brewing, beginning a partnership that has helped each organization evolve.

“I thought Oakshire would come in as a minor sponsor,” says Lane United founder and managing director Dave Galas, recollecting his original pitch to Oakshire co-founder Jeff Althouse. “Jeff stopped me, pointed to the front of the jersey, and said ‘I want that. I want to be the title sponsor.’ They’ve been our main title sponsor ever since.”

For Althouse, it was another way a local craft brewery could be at the heart of community sports and outdoor activities, as Oakshire had also been with Playground Sports and Human Foosball League.

“I grew up playing soccer and always felt at home with my teammates, coaches and the soccer community,” says Althouse. “When the opportunity came up to partner with our local upstart club, Oakshire jumped at the opportunity. We often identify as an underdog in a market of large brewing companies, just as an upstart soccer club fights to exist as an organization, and on the field at every match. It's a natural fit.”

Based in Eugene and founded in 2013, Lane United plays in the Premier Development League’s Northwest Division, a stepping stone for many professional players and a source for Major League Soccer franchise reserve squads. Oakshire is Lane United’s official kit sponsor, and club jerseys are emblazoned with the 10-year-old brewery’s logo. Club events are also held at the Oakshire Public House, which is no stranger to fans of football — the globally beloved feet-only version, that is.

“The Public House had just opened when the sponsorship began,” says Galas, who is a fan of Oakshire’s Reclamation Lager, Overcast Espresso Stout, and Sun Made Raspberry Berliner Weisse. “We did a lot to drive business to the pub. That first year was also World Cup, and the Public House showed lots of games there, like the U.S.-Portugal game, when they got a special permit to open early. The building was so full, people were sitting outside.”

Like Althouse, Galas grew up with soccer in his life. Spending part of his childhood in Geneva, Galas would watch matches with Liverpool, St-Etienne and the Dutch national team. When he founded Lane United, Galas saw the club as integral to providing value to the community. Part of his original goal for the team was to have a regular soccer presence at then-vacant Civic Stadium (which burned down in 2015). The club currently plays at the Bob Keefer Center in Springfield, though Galas and others are working to establish a new stadium presence at the former Civic site, which upon completion will serve as the new permanent home for the club.

Oakshire Brewing’s name and logo are prominently displayed on Lane United jerseys after the two began a partnership in 2014. The brewery’s co-founder wanted to be at the heart of community sports.

That new Civic site will also incorporate beer and pub areas on the grounds as part of the stadium’s infrastructure, says Galas. “Beer plays perfectly into the fan culture,” he explains. “The culture of soccer fandom is very social. There’s plenty of drinking, but it’s different from your traditional American sports. There isn’t a tailgating scene, but there’s a drink at the pub beforehand. Various groups get together at the pub during the game. Having a brewery as title sponsor plays in perfectly with that culture.”

Oakshire’s original commitment runs through the 2017 season, but Galas says he and Althouse will be discussing options on how to continue supporting each other. “We are very much a hometown, grassroots organization,” says Galas. “Oakshire’s approach to community outreach and the beers they brew go into that same mentality.”​Althouse also recognizes that sense of synergy with LUFC, as well as a shared purpose in the broader community. “Oakshire's partnership with Lane United Football Club allows us to connect with the most passionate local sports fans who share our values,” he explains. “We're thrilled to host LUFC events at our Public House in Eugene, and we love cheering for our home team at the pitch. Soccer and local beer just go together.”